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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Exotic & Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #289590
Title: High pathogenicity avian influenza virus in the reproductive tract of chickens

Author
item Sa E Silva, Mariana
item RISSI, DANIEL - University Of Georgia
item Pantin Jackwood, Mary
item Swayne, David

Submitted to: Veterinary Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/13/2013
Publication Date: 5/22/2013
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/59849
Citation: Sa E Silva, M., Rissi, D.R., Pantin Jackwood, M.J., Swayne, D.E. 2013. High pathogenicity avian influenza virus in the reproductive tract of chickens. Veterinary Pathology. 50(6):956-960. DOI: 10.1177/0300985813490755.

Interpretive Summary: Avian influenza virus is an important disease and it has been associated with several clinical manifestations in birds and mammals worldwide. The aim of this study was to understand the pathogenesis of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus in the reproductive tract of hens in production. For that adult hens were inoculated with three different strains of avian influenza virus, and tissues from the reproductive tract were collected every 12 hours, and tested for lesions and presence of the virus by immunohistochemistry. This study is important to understand the dissemination of the virus in the reproductive tract after an intranasal inoculation.

Technical Abstract: Infection with high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) has been associated with a wide range of clinical manifestations in poultry including severe depression in egg production and isolation of HPAIV from eggs laid by infected hens. To evaluate the pathobiology in the reproductive tract of chickens, adult hens were inoculated intranasally with three HPAIV strains. All three strains induced lesions in the reproductive tract 36-72 post inoculation. Positive immunostaining was observed in all segments of the reproductive tract, occurring predominantly in stromal cells and superficial germinal epithelium of the ovary, in mucosal epithelial cells and less often glandular epithelium throughout the oviduct, and in vascular endothelium. This study generates important data and explains previously reported virus isolation from yolk, due to ovarian virus replication, and virus recovery from albumin, due to virus replication in epithelial cells in several segments of the oviduct.